1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrocautery surgical instruments and more particularly to an electrocautery scalpel system having an extendable electrode housing element to facilitate use in a variety of surgical locations without changing the electrode housing element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electrocautery surgical instruments rely on the delivery of particular high current and high frequency electrical signals from a remote generator to selectively sever, clamp or coagulate living tissue during surgical procedures. The instruments deliver signals from an electrode extending from the distal end of the instrument. Surgery requires the delivery of the signals to a variety of locations within the body, thereby necessitating electrodes and their subsequent housing to be of a variety of sizes.
In use, the surgeon either exchanges one instrument with a particular size housing for a second instrument with a longer or shorter housing, or manually exchanges the electrode housing. This action is required by existing electrocautery surgical instruments, which distracts the surgeon from the patient and has given rise to the need for an electrocautery surgical instrument with an adjustably positioned electrode housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,695 issued to Weber, Jr. et al., on Jul. 30, 1991, discloses an extendable electrocautery surgical apparatus that delivers both electrode and suction capability. By manually manipulating a slidable element, the user can control the length of an electrode protruding out of a distal end of the unit. The Weber apparatus differs from this invention, in that the manual extension controls the extension of only the electrode, and therefore has a range of use limited to the size of the electrode selected. To expand the range of use of the Weber apparatus, it is necessary to exchange the electrode. The electrode may currently be purchased in a range of sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,429 issued to Neil Goldhaber on Aug. 10, 1993 discloses a surgical cauterization instrument having a plurality of telescoping tubes, each tube having an outwardly projecting flange, and a flexible wire connecting a source of electrical voltage to an electrode positioned at the distal end of the telescoping tubes.
In contrast, this invention provides an extendable electrocautery surgical apparatus wherein the range of use is not limited to the size of the electrode, eliminating the need to purchase a electrode housing unit sizes.